Night's Children: Meliora
by Nymbis
Summary: Jimena was once the toughest goddess, and the duty of the Magna Mater hasn’t dulled her fighting abilities. So when a coworker turns out to be a demon, let’s just say it’s not only the Daughters who get all the fun. Side story between books 3 and 4.
1. Prologue: Pandia's Demon

_Night's Children: Meliora_

_Always better._

**Summary: **Side story. Jimena was once the toughest goddess, and the duty of the Magna Mater hasn't dulled her fighting abilities. So when a co-worker turns out to be a demon, let's just say it's not only the Daughters who get all the fun. Between books 3 and 4.

**AN: **A side story, just for Jimena! Squee! Takes place between book three and book four of _Night's Children. _It's going to be very short- five chapters. Enjoy!

_Prologue: Pandia's Demon_

_Long ago, there once lived a goddess who walked among men. Her name was Pandia, the 'ever-shining moon', and it was rumored that she was the daughter of both Selene, the Goddess of the Moon, and Zeus, King of the Gods. _

_Pandia was a strong, gifted woman, and during her brief stay on earth she dedicated herself to serving her mother as a high priestess of the moon. Maintaining a vow of chastity that was common amongst holy women, she promised her mother to never marry or lay with a man. While it was not a requirement, Pandia remained steadfast to her promise, believing that a loving relationship with a mortal would taint her resolve and hinder her serving the people._

_One night, there was an attack upon the temple that Pandia lived in. The intruder was an Incubus, a male demon fueled by lust, who had been called upon by the Atrox to kill the next rumored leader of Selene's Daughters, a young pupil of Pandia's named Penelope. Pandia, blessed with the ability of foresight, was able to confront the demon before he reached his intended goal._

_It is said that when the demon lay eyes upon the beautiful goddess, his mission was forgotten and he became completely infatuated with Pandia. He attempted to seduce the priestess, but she would not allow herself to become distracted, nor allow the demon from the Atrox to stay in the mortals' realm. She expelled him from the temple, but she soon discovered that was not enough._

_The demon was cruel, but determined to claim the Daughter of Selene, and he continued to visit the temple, even without orders from his master. Pandia simply ignored his persistent advances, knowing that to outright attack the Incubus without provocation was not her mother's way. However, when the demon used one of Pandia's students as a hostage in order to pressure her into submission, Pandia was left with no other options. Using the powers given to her by both her mother and father, Pandia battled with the Incubus, eventually defeating him and sending him back to Tartarus, the hell from which he came._

_However, the demon knew he would not stay there forever, and patiently awaited for the day he could return to Earth, to seek his revenge on the goddess he desired._


	2. Family Matters

_Night's Children: Meliora_

**Chapter One: Family Matters**

"_He needs to come home!" _Came an incredibly angered voice from the other end of the telephone.

"He wants to stay here in Los Angeles," Came an equally furious voice, although far more controlled.

"_I'm his father!"_

"I'm his mother- we do have joint custody Collin!" Jimena yelled into the phone, stomping the heel of her shoe onto the floor underneath her, "This isn't our call, it's his!" She exhaled slowly, "If Carlos wants to continue living with me, we have to respect his wishes."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, _"Jimena, it's dangerous with you. I thought we had both talked about this. I don't want our son to be apart of some clandestine war." _The voice, belonging to her ex-husband Collin Killingsworth, had dropped the irate tone and had become more melancholy.

Jimena sighed, "Carlos needs to be allowed to form his own decisions," She slumped back onto the apartment's sofa, phone clenched tightly with her fingers, and she hesitated before speaking, "He has some precognitive abilities, and he's already fought against some Followers. If it wasn't for him, Tianna's daughter would be dead." She shook her head, even though she knew Collin couldn't see, "He's needed here."

"_This isn't about who's needed where, Jimena!" _The biting quality had returned to his voice, _"It's about protecting _our _son! I won't let him become another tool for Selene like _she _was!"_

Rage flared within her, "Don't you **dare **imply that Serena was some sort of expendable soldier!"

Silence reigned between the two once-married adults, both settling to breath angrily into the phone before someone said something regretful. Finally, Jimena acquired some composure.

"Collin, Carlos _wants _to stay here. If you force him to go back to Hawaii, you're only going to delay the inevitable."

"_I don't like this Jimena," _Replied Collin, sounding very tired, _"He doesn't know…he doesn't know about what happened to his aunt and godmother."_

Jimena chose her next words carefully, "When he does know, I think his resolve will remain the same." A bittersweet smile crossed her face, "He's a lot like me in that area."

"_Unfortunately."_

Suddenly, Jimena heard the deadbolt of her apartment slide open, and her eyes shot towards the door, automatically knowing that it was Riley and Carlos on the other side.

She exhaled through her nose sharply, "Collin, I'm going to have to call you back, Riley and Carlos are home."

"_Who's Riley?" _He demanded.

"Cassandra's daughter, and my foster child," She replied quickly.

"_What? When did this happen?" _Collin proclaimed in irritation.

"Goodbye Collin," Jimena cut him off as she saw the door creeping open.

"_I'm not happy about this," _He finished, before Jimena hung up the phone, just in time to see Riley and Carlos walking in. Riley had her gig bag hanging lazily around one shoulder, her messenger bag's strap criss-crossing over it as she attempted to balance the two objects. Carlos stood to her side, his brown hair disheveled, and his slightly too-big, red collared shirt hung open, revealing a white tank top.

A fake smile became plastered across her face, as she tried to ignore the frustrating conversations she had been having lately with her ex-husband, "How was school?" She replied, hating how easily she could inject false happiness into her tone.

Riley said nothing, only sending her a scrutinizing look that calmly said, _Something's wrong, but I won't get involved._

"Awesome!" Carlos cheered happily, plopping down on the couch next to his mother, his upbeat attitude nostalgically reminding Jimena of Collin before everything had happened, "Everyone here is uptight and superficial!"

Jimena gaped at her son in the utmost confusion, even Riley sent him an incredulous look, "Care to elaborate?" The Magna Mater asked.

"No, not really. But Aria's in two of my classes, and Riley's friend Twiggy seems pretty chill," The brunette continued.

Riley just shook her head and looked towards Jimena meaningfully, "Twiggy took his lunch money," She explained in her constant monotone.

"But he gave it back after he discovered I was your foster brother!" Carlos defended the dreadlocked bassist, "That's loyalty."

Jimena felt her annoyance towards her ex-husband fade as she listened to the two talk. It had been a week since Carlos had arrived with Aria at the Los Angeles hospital, looking exhausted and battered. While there were still many things that needed to be smoothed out, such as the permanent living arrangements and convincing Collin, Jimena was thankful for the things that had worked out. Riley had taken a liking to Carlos immediately after he had moved in, finding his personality all-too similar to her best friend Imy's. Carlos, in turn, had been obviously surprised to discover he had a foster sister, but enjoyed Riley's pacifism and dry sense of humor, which reminded him of many of the surfers back in Maui. In addition, Aria had been spending more time at Jimena's apartment, and imagine her surprise when Carlos had told her that they were 'sorta dating'.

It hadn't been easy at first, and they were still in the transitioning station. The apartment only had two bedrooms, so Riley's room had been divided in half by a curtain and shared between the two foster siblings. Carlos still didn't have any of his things, as Collin refused to accept the fact that he wanted to live in Los Angeles, so he was crashing on a standard army cot and wearing clothes borrowed from Tessa's older brother Ezra until Jimena received her first paycheck on Friday. Riley had kindly offered her bed, but Carlos had just waved the offer off, saying that he liked camping indoors.

Things weren't going as calmly as she'd like, but her son was with her again, and right now that was enough for Jimena.

"…I'll be back around ten, then, if that's alright with you?" Came Riley's voice, jolting Jimena from her thoughts.

"Uh?" She responded back intelligently.

Riley's eyebrows drew together in confusion, before she clarified, "I have band practice tonight at Jake's, is ten too late?"

Jimena shook her head, "No, ten's fine." She paused, "Is Twiggy going to give you a ride back?"

The tinniest of smirks crawled onto the maroon haired girl's face, "I'm sure that Imy will just teleport me over after practice."

She could feel the reproach about using powers responsibly on the tip of her tongue, but she sighed, knowing that Catty and herself had been no better. She settled for shrugging, "Alright, but remember that tomorrow I want you four to go check out Planet Bang, Tessa said the place has been crawling with Followers lately."

"I want to go!" Carlos cut in.

"Why?" Jimena asked, while Riley's mouth twisted slightly in confusion.

Her son shrugged, "I can help, I have my evil-thwarting reflexes, after all. Plus the, you know." He said carefully, hand placed over the spot where Eileithyia had marked him.

Jimena rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but feel the sting of pride that got her in the chest when she thought about how her son had inherited a small portion of her powers. Her mind then snagged. Carlos wanted to go out and fight Followers, which would mean that he would be in danger. She bit her tongue and thought about the hypocrisy she'd be committing if she allowed him to bail out simply because he was her son. Yet on the other hand, she couldn't help but hear Collin's nagging voice in her ear.

"I think you should stay home." She finally said.

A brief flicker of hurt made its way through Carlos's eyes, "Why not? You said yourself that I was needed!"

"It's too dangerous." She muttered, feeling Riley's stare trained on her.

Carlos seemed to pick up the feeling in the room, "So it's too dangerous for me, but not dangerous enough for Riley or Aria?"

Jimena exhaled, "That's not what I mean, Carlos." She stated, "Riley and Aria have a lot more experience in fighting Followers than you do-"

"Mom!" Carlos protested, sounding very much like a five year old, "I fought against _Guardians of Hades _and won!"

The mentor's eyes flashed dangerously, "That was an extreme situation, you weren't willingly putting yourself at risk-"

"The hell I wasn't!" He outburst, something that struck her as an odd reaction from her son, and she found herself momentarily taken aback by the zeal in his tone, "Mom, I was needed, so I stepped in." He crossed his arms and sent her a glare that made it seem like she was looking into a mirror, "That's why I'm here. I'm needed."

Jimena exhaled patiently and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Carlos, I understand that you want to help, and that's admirable, but the Daughters have been fighting Followers for months-"

"That's not true!" He cut in, sending a meaningful look at his foster sister, "Riley told me the first time they ever fought Followers was a mere month after they found out about their powers, and Aria had only known about them for a few days!"

Jimena sent a piercing stare to Riley, who shifted awkwardly on her feet, "I'm going to go meet Jake, Twiggy, and Imy now." She muttered somewhat sheepishly, not wanting to be entangled in the fight, as she cautiously backed away and out of the apartment.

Silence reigned between the two before Jimena stood, her voice cold, "No means no. Carlos, you're not ready for this sort of confrontation."

Her son's face flushed with anger and his fists clenched, "You don't know what I'm ready for."

She rose an eyebrow, "And what exactly are you implying?"

"I've fought with immortals before, I've-" His voice seemed somewhat thick, "I've killed before, mom. I want to help you."

An astound bitterness crawled up her throat as she thought about the fact that her son had already been tainted. The innocent, giggling little baby she had held sixteen years ago was now all grown up and had experienced some of the worst situations life had to present. Her tired eyes traveled over his form and she found herself asking a question that she really didn't want to hear the answer to.

What if Collin was right?

"Mom?"

She licked her lips, "Just…not tomorrow, Carlos." Her eyes held the hidden message, _please._

He tensed yet again, and his features twisted into a scowl before he spun on his heel, "Fine." He muttered darkly, heading towards the door, "I'm going out."

Jimena just watched as her son stormed angrily out of the apartment, wondering if she wasn't making a huge mistake by keeping him here. She wanted to believe that he wanted, honestly wanted, this lifestyle. That he genuinely desired to help and wasn't being lead astray by his relationship with herself or Aria. She saw a reflection of Collin in him, who had once upon a time been dedicated to doing everything in his power to protect his girlfriend and his little sister.

But then his little sister had been murdered, and he had grown so resentful that he shunned everything even remotely connected to Selene, Jimena included.

What would happen if Aria was injured or killed? Would Carlos be the same way? Resenting Jimena for something she honestly had no control over? Collin's rejection had pained her in a way she never thought imaginable, but Carlos's would certainly kill her.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and inhaled deeply. Catty or Tianna never had these sort of problems to deal with, and she felt a tad bit envious of their situations, Catty's especially. To be able to forget everything…To have a _normal _life, Jimena would almost give anything for that.

That is, until she remembered that Catty, despite her vanished memories, did most certainly not have a normal life. She had married Kyle, a former _servus _and a half demon to boot, and her only child was a teleporter. Not only that, but when she saw Catty painting, her eyes unfocused and her mind in another place as a pained expression covered her face, she had more than a little bit of doubt that her memories were completely faded. Catty was constantly on the brink between recollection and ignorance, and it was apparent by the hidden question in her eyes that she was always searching for something, clawing for a form of clarity and reason behind the agonizing recollections she couldn't remember.

Maybe, it was not quite right to be jealous of Catty.

Jimena exhaled, and picked up a phone, dialing the Anderson-Moore's residence. She needed to talk to someone, and who better than the volunteer Daughter of the Moon?

The phone rang for a few times before it was picked up, _"Hello?" _Came none other than Tianna's daughter and reluctant healer, Aria.

"Hello Aria, it's Jimena." She said smoothly, hoping to cover up the stress she was under.

"_What's up?" _From her tone, Jimena could infer that she was asking if there was a situation. Inwardly, the mentor for the newest generation of Daughters of the Moon felt a swirl of pride. A month ago, that same girl would have immediately hung up the phone, but due to the strange metamorphosis that had occurred a week ago, it was obvious her entire mindset had shifted. The most reluctant of the group was now the most driven and motivated of the four, and it made Jimena feel as if _something _had gone right.

"No, nothing like that," She spoke into the receiver, "I was just wondering if Tianna was around?"

"_Oh, sure, hold on," _There was a sound of the phone being set down followed by a stifled holler of 'Mom! Phone!' before it was picked up again.

"_Hello?" _Came the smooth voice of Tianna.

"Tianna?" Jimena asked, "Are you free?"

"_Is something wrong?" _Tianna responded immediately, detecting the thinly veiled distress in her friend's tone.

"No, yes, maybe. No," She muttered.

"_Uh huh." _She spoke, obviously not convinced.

Jimena exhaled harshly, feeling somewhat idiotic, "It's nothing, I'm sorry I bothered-"

"_Jimena, I'm coming over, you better make some coffee," _Came Tianna, and Jimena could just envision the reproachful look she was wearing as she continued, _"It isn't smart to keep this type of thing repressed."_

The Magna Mater smirked and rolled her eyes, "Since when have you gotten all responsible on me?"

She laughed on the other line, _"Fifteen years and two kids later, I'd have hoped I matured somewhat."_

Jimena's grin fell a little but remained in place, "I'll make coffee." She grumbled.

"_See you soon."_ Tianna chirped before she hung up, not waiting for a reply.

Jimena just sighed to herself in somewhat relief before she began to raid her kitchen's apartment for coffee filters and beans.

OoO

The knock sounded on her door, and Jimena swerved on her heel, opening it to see the grinning face of the former Daughter of the Moon, "Come on in," She said, retreating back to the kitchen and leaving the door open.

Tianna Moore, now Anderson-Moore, was still the beauty she had been when she was younger, her dark hair free of any gray and her eyes devoid of any crow's feet. She even held the same aura of confidence she had years before, her smile was still reassuring and there was still the tomboy feeling to her, as her jeans had casual dirt patches and holes in them. However, it was safe to say that by looking in her eyes, Tianna was now a completely different person than she had once been. There was an almost haunted and hollow look behind her stare, indicating the tragedies of the former Daughters' past.

Jimena retreated back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, as she held out a mug to Tianna, "Enjoy, I slaved over this." She said dryly, a glint of mischievousness in her own stare.

The telekinetic smiled and waved her hand, the cup hovering gently into her own reach as she made her way to the couch, "So, what's bothering you?"

Jimena made her way to the opposite side, plopping herself on the comfortable cushion, "This Magna Mater stuff is beginning to become a real drag," She deadpanned, sipping from her mug.

Tianna sent her a sympathizing look, "So I suppose Collin wasn't very receptive towards Carlos's decision?"

The precog groaned, "Receptive? He was screaming into the phone." She shifted a bit in her seat and set the hot cup on her coffee table, resting her chin on the heel of her hand, "And now Carlos wants to fight right with the other Daughters."

Tianna raised an eyebrow, "And what is wrong with that?"

"It's too dangerous for him," Jimena said reluctantly, "He's too rambunctious and unpredictable for this sort of battle."

The other former Daughter sent her a skeptic look, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't one of your new charges a former drug addict? And Catty's daughter is on the team as well, that's a recipe for trouble if she's anything like her mom."

"That's different-"

"And," Tianna continued, not one to be swayed, "The only one on _our _team that was ideal for the job was Vanessa. You were a former gang member, Catty attracted danger wherever she went, Serena was The Key, and I wasn't exactly cool, calm and collected."

"And the only one who came out of that generation unscathed was you, Tianna," Jimena said, not with bitterness, but remorse.

Tianna sat there pensively, trying to address a counter for that argument. Finding none, she opted for a different approach, "Your Daughters are strong, Jimena, they've dealt with worse situations."

She gnawed on the inside of her cheek, "Not with flying colors. Riley was ultimately unable to save herself from her dark side, if not for Trysten she would have become a Follower, and we lost Serena's son to the Atrox. Aria and Carlos both had to resort to violence in order to achieve success, even killing three people."

Tianna flinched slightly when she thought about her daughter as a killer, "They're kids, Jimena, and it was their first challenges. They'll get better with time." A mischievous look crossed her face, "Besides, I remember a certain someone loosing their powers to _Cassandra _of all people not so long ago."

"Not so long ago? Tianna, that was almost two decades ago!" Jimena huffed slightly, crossing her arms, "And I did it to save Veto."

The telekinetic smiled, "And Riley did it to protect her friends, Trysten did it partially to save Riley, Aria fought to protect innocent people, and now Carlos wants to enter the war to help his mother and girlfriend." She drank out of her mug, staring at Jimena from over the edge, "Jimena, what's so wrong about that?"

Silence reigned between the two older women as Jimena mulled it over, before reclining back in her seat, "There's nothing wrong with it. It's just that…I've lost so much Tianna. Two of my best friends were murdered, Collin ran away from me, and now that I finally have one of my loved ones back, I don't want to see him taken by the Atrox."

A sad smile graced the woman's features, "I understand. Trust me, I know Jimena. When I found out about Aria being a Daughter, well it's safe to say I freaked out. I didn't want my newly formed family to go into chaos." She paused, "My own parents were murdered by Followers who were trying to get to me, I didn't want Aria to have to go through the same process."

"Then why allow an opening like that?" Jimena demanded, "We need to learn from our mistakes."

"Just like they need to learn from their own," She replied coolly, taking another sip from her mug.

Jimena sighed, staring levelly at her old friend, "There's no way I'm going to win this, is there?" She questioned dejectedly.

"Not with me," Tianna said easily, "I'm almost as stubborn as you are, and my mind's clearly made up." She gave a rather gentle look, "Jimena, it's a mom thing. Trust me when I say the worry is going to fade over time."

Jimena shook her head, "But Tianna, I'm _terrible _at being a mom." She said, evidently wanting to get this off of her chest completely, "I only see Carlos, what? Two, three months of the year? I don't really _know _him, I don't know how he'd react, or what he's afraid of or what-"

Tianna quickly cut off her tirade, "Jimena, why do you think your role is called the Magna _Mater_? You're the mother figure to all of those kids, like Maggie was for us when she was around." A tiny smile crept up on her face, "You're a _great _mom, you'd have to be." Seeing Jimena's ready protest, she continued quickly, "Think about it, Carlos, who you said yourself doesn't know much about you, abandoned living in **Hawaii **of all places to be with you." Her smile grew, "The kid loves you, he's your son. That's just how it works."

The precog was silent as she weighed the telekinetic's words in her mind. It was a nice idea, a comforting one at that, but was it _right_? Of course Carlos loved her, that wasn't the question, the question was whether or not Jimena was exploiting that trusting relationship, just like Collin had been evasively accusing her of doing. It wasn't something that could be solved right away, but Tianna had more than sufficed in giving the counterargument. After all, she was the volunteer Daughter of the Moon, mother of two, and parent of a teenaged deity. Who better than to take advice from in this instance?

She knew nothing would be resolved for a bit, but Tianna's words had given her food for thought. Leaning back, Jimena stared at the dark haired woman before finally muttering, "Want to go get dinner?"

Tianna beamed, "Sounds great! I've been living off of Hamburger Helper these past few weeks," She said, laughing slightly as she stood.

Jimena deposited the mugs in the sink, and as she picked up her black felt coat, she reflected about who she was, and who she had been.

When she thought of her son, she didn't want him to take the same path.

"You want to try the new sushi place?" Tianna asked, going for the door.

Jimena's ponderings dispersed as she sauntered after the exuberant woman, "Sounds great." She said, her mind still a million miles away.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

That's all for this chap, thanks to all the readers/reviewers! Oh! And the summary for Book Four is up on my profile, so take a looksie if you want : D

_Up Next: _A strange dream leaves Jimena on edge when she goes to work in the morning, and the attentions of a coworker only unsettles her more.

Till next time!

!nym!


	3. Winston

_Night's Children: Meliora_

_AN: Italics _are dream scenes

I scene-skip in this chap a lot, sorry if that irritates any of you : (

**Chapter Two: Winston**

By the time Jimena sauntered back to her apartment, she was dead on her feet but feeling a whole lot lighter. Tianna always had that way with people, a few words with her was enough to catapult Jimena back into her high school days, when everything had been infinitely simpler. It had given Jimena a reprieve from all of the deity garbage, and allowed her to be a woman simply catching up with an old friend. It was those types of moments she was infinitely thankful for.

Slowly, Jimena turned the key in the tumbler, groaning inwardly when she remembered that she had work early in the morning. As soon as she pushed open the door, she was rewarded with the sight of Riley at the kitchen table, a history book and some worksheets sprawled in front of her, an intense look of concentration upon the young empath's face. Startled, Jimena looked at her wristwatch, amazed that she had stayed out so late with Tianna.

"Hey Riley," She said easily, dropping her purse lazily by the couch as she took off her jacket and hung it up in the closet, "How was practice?"

A muffled groan was heard, followed by, "As well as can be expected. Twiggy was being…" A slight sigh, "Well, Twiggy."

A tiny smile flitted on Jimena's face as she recalled the surly young man, before concern took over, "Did Carlos come home?"

There was a grunt, with the sound of a page turning, "He said he was going to bed early." A pause came after this, and Jimena could tell the girl was debating asking something, "Did something happen? He seemed rather…upset."

A ripple of guilt flowed through her, before she ran a hand through her hair, "Just Daughter business. It'll be fine in the morning," She hoped the empath didn't pick up on her thinly veiled lie.

If Riley did, she let it slide, "I see. I'm just finishing up some homework, and I'll go to bed." Her tone was still constantly flat, and Jimena was a little happy that something always stayed the same.

"Alright, I'm going to get some sleep too," She said, taking off her glasses and cleaning the lenses on her shirt, "Good night, Riley."

"Good night." Came the clipped reply.

Hesitantly, Jimena stopped on her way down the hall, right outside the doorway of Riley and Carlos's room. Carefully, she creaked open the door, and peered inside.

Sure enough, Carlos was in a deep slumber, dead to the world as he snored rather loudly. Jimena grimaced, his dad snored like a dying bear as well…

The moonlight from outside, combined with streetlights and neon advertisements, filtered in through the open window and illuminated the boy's features. Carlos, in his sleep, had kicked off the blankets and was now shivering slightly. Slowly, Jimena approached and pulled the blanket up passed his shoulders, poignancy hitting her full force when she realized she was tucking her son in for the first time in years. Gently, she let a hand run through her son's hair, before sighing slightly and going back towards the door, closing it silently behind her as she made her way back to her own room.

As soon as she had entered, she tossed her shoes off and made a beeline for her bed, not even bothering to change out of her day clothes as her head hit the pillow and fatigue overtook her.

OoO

_Slim, pale fingers folded together gently as she clasped her hands in front of her, her head inclined downwards as she stooped in prayer before the likeness of her Mother Goddess. The intense scent of incense hung in the air, bluish plumes of smoke wafting through the space in front of the white marble statue. The High Priestess shook her head, allowing her dark and at times unruly hair to fall gracefully over one shoulder as she cleared her voice to recite the blessed words for guidance._

"Vade mecum, regina nocis, lux in tenebris. Dum vita est serva_," She chanted slowly, the words no longer feeling archaic upon her tongue. She repeated the mantra carefully, until the light from the setting sun began to disappear, replaced by the illumination of the stars. As soon as she had finished, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind her. Languidly, as she expected it to be one of her students within Selene's cult, she stood up and began to speak._

"_What can I help you-" She trailed off as soon as she turned around, her dark eyes widening as they fell upon the figure in front of her. The gentle tone fell away to become one of barely repressed ire and irritation, "I thought I warned you not to return to this place." _

_The footsteps belonged to an incredibly handsome man, draped in the finest linens and anointed with fragrant oils. His hair, black as the night, was a beautiful contrast to his milky white skin, the paleness a sign of nobility. Obsidian chips for eyes stared at the praying priestess with unconcealed desire, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth._

_The woman absolutely despised the man standing in front of her, and if not for the vow of pacifism she had promised her Mother, she would have vanquished him on the spot._

"_State your purpose," She declared coldly, tensing into a defensive stance, her fists clenched at her sides._

"_Pandia, such hostility is unbecoming of your stature," The man drawled, his dark eyes beginning to gleam with amusement. _

"_You are not welcome here," She said clearly, swerving around and about to resume her prayer. "Leave now."_

_The man exhaled in annoyance, smoke billowing out of his nostrils, "I know you missed me," He purred, his footsteps drawing closer to the High Priestess, "I've missed you," He pouted, his inhumanly warm hands clasped around her shoulders from behind as his hot breath heated the shell of her ear._

_Her previous irritation was quickly replaced entirely by wrath when she recognized the seductive tendencies of an _incubare_, "Remove your hands from me," She hissed between clenched teeth, drawing up some of her power as warning, "Vow or not, I will destroy you."_

_A short chuckle escaped from him as he wisely backed away, his touch lingering and making her feel as if she were coated in grime, "You can't resist me for much longer, my love." _

"_Don't call me that," She said, turning her head to look behind her as she sent him a venomous glare, "You can't love if you don't have a heart. You're not even human."_

_He blinked owlishly at her, as if not seeing the problem with his not having a heart, "I am far superior to mere mortals," He coaxed, "I'm an Immortal, a suitable lover for a daughter of Zeus and Selene." His smile became toothy, making him look even more like a predator, "I could give you anything you want, my elegant Pandia."_

"_You're a monster, a hopeless lackey of the Atrox," She responded, "And what I want is for you to alleviate my fury with the absence of your despicable presence."_

_A tiny look of anger crossed his sharp features, the first of that night, "The pathetic Atrox does not control me," He scoffed, "I work alone. And I know that you want me almost as much as I desire you."_

"_It's not even comparable," She responded dryly, "My resolve will not change. I suggest you find another woman to pester with your advances."_

_A sneer twitched across his mouth as he continued to stare hungrily at Pandia, "Then I shall simply keep coming until you change your mind."_

_She groaned and stood up, facing him completely, "How many times have you been here, demon? And how many more times do I have to reject you? It shall not happen, not now, not ever." Her words were brutal and held finality as her dark stare froze him in place._

_The _incubare_ stood there, rage and lust both boiling up inside of him as he continued to glare at the insolent woman he so desperately wanted. His hands balled into fists, much like her own, and his black eyes were beginning to turn red around the edges as fury overcame him. He opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by the sound of bare feet slapping along the polished marble floors of the temple._

"_Pandia, they're requesting our help-" Came the voice of Phoebe, one of Pandia's young charges and newly initiated priestess as she entered the room, "-in the town." She trailed off as she stood in the entryway, far too close to the demon, "Pandia, what is going on? Why is there a man in the temple?" The ten year old questioned, brown eyes wide with naivety. _

"_Phoebe, leave now, get away from him!" Pandia cried, for once loosing her composure as raw panic overtook her at having one of her students in jeopardy._

_The demon, seeing the obvious concern his beloved priestess held for the child, immediately took the initiative as he secured an arm around the girl's neck, tilting the child's head to the side, and tracing a finger along her tiny throat. "This can be easy, or hard, Pandia. I'm through trying to court you," He said, his demonic form beginning to show as his eyes turned red with no pupils and the finger sprouted a talon-like claw, one with a knife-like edge, "Come to me and I'll spare her life."_

"_Pandia," Cried the girl pathetically, tears gathering in her eyes as she realized her apparent danger. _

_The High Priestess stood there, terror and rage equally taking over her heart as she realized just how low this disgusting creature was willing to go to get her. "Release my student, or so help me, I will eradicate your loathsome existence from this world forever." She cursed, feeling the powers of the moon coming to her._

_The _incubare_, sensing the increasing force around her, tensed a bit, but his bravado remained, "She dies then," He hissed, as he began to trail his claw against Phoebe's throat-_

_BLARN BLARN BLARN BLARN _

BLARN BLARN BLARN BLARN

Abruptly, Jimena tore herself away from her dream, sitting up quickly and ghosting hands over her neck as she panted heavily. After a few seconds, realization hit her and she exhaled slowly before sluggishly dragging her hand over to the alarm on her nightstand.

BLARN BLARN BLAR-

Exhausted, she cradled her head in her palms after she switched off the clock, trying to reclaim every single detail and image presented to her within the ominous dream.

It was obviously a memory from her past life as Pandia, she knew this simply because she had such dreams before, and they normally served an important purpose. However, none of her recollections were that…heated. She could literally feel every single emotion, every touch, and the aftereffects still lingered after she had woken up. Dreams like this were rarely that potent, and she knew the memory must have been an incredibly violent or vivid one.

Filing away her thoughts for a later time, Jimena begrudgingly admitted to herself that it was time to prepare for the day. Sighing as her tired eyes flickered to the digital clock which angrily read four thirty in the morning, she sluggishly stood up, swaying slightly as her legs didn't seem to comply to her demands.

She rubbed her arms self-consciously as she started to walk towards the bathroom, and she discovered she had goosebumps rising from her arms despite the warm temperature of the apartment. The dream still haunted her, even after a few moments after awakening, and something was desperately nagging at a corner of her mind. Since she couldn't recall what was needed, she only shuddered yet again as she undressed and entered the shower, knowing that there was something ominous and foreboding clinging to the air.

OoO

Carlos's eyes looked numbly out the window of Riley's, his kind of, room. The sky was still dark, but towards the east there was the graying that signified that the sun was about to rise. He was sprawled out on the cot, his arms folded underneath his head as he exhaled slowly. He had been trying to get to sleep for the past few hours, having been woken up a multitude of times by his uneasiness, his anxiety not allowing him to fall back into a blissful slumber.

Carlos could admit he was nervous as hell. As much as he hated to think about it, his life in Los Angeles could probably be numbered in days. He wasn't an idiot, he knew both of his parents had been bickering over the phone during the last week, and he could slowly see his father crushing any resolve his mom had about letting him stay here with her.

He appreciated what his father was trying to do, and he could understand his point of view, but he couldn't ignore the sensation of rage or the feeling of being cheated when he thought about how he was winning over his mother.

Carlos had spent the better part of his week in Los Angeles contemplating his dad's reasoning and why he had denied him the essential requirement of a mother figure because of it. Why he had denied himself a wife. It was all about trying to protect him, and, Carlos would admit when idealism of his father faded, to shield himself.

This is what puzzled Carlos the most. He didn't quite see what his dad had to be afraid of. From what he had gathered, Collin didn't wield any sort of power. He lacked a grand destiny, he had no connections to any deities and was, for all extents and purposes, a normal guy.

So why was Collin so terrified? He couldn't understand why a man who had taught him the mantra 'No Fear' would let something so menial come between the love he had for his son, and the jaded care he held for his ex wife.

Carlos groaned and rolled over on his side. Collin had never remarried, never dated, hell, Carlos had never even seen him talk to a member of the opposite sex with non platonic interest. It was obvious that his dad still held feelings for his mother, yet he went through such pains to deny them.

He supposed there was the slightest chance that Collin had his own reasons for wanting to no longer be involved in the war between Selene and The Atrox, but Carlos couldn't comprehend what would be strong enough logic for his father to withdraw and shirk his responsibilities. His family.

That was what he loved about his mother. He had never seen the woman back down from anything. She was headstrong, determined, and Carlos knew his mother would go to the edges of the world for him. She was fiercely protective and would trade her life for his in a second.

Yet that was his mother's inherent flaw as well. She was _too _protective, to the point of smothering. She refused to let Carlos experience anything on his own, and it was beginning to transcend the point of mere frustration. She was obstructing him from his own destiny, the one he had promised to Eileithyia to help save Aria's life.

A tiny smile flitted across his face when he thought of his current, kind of, girlfriend. But the smile fell when he realized that when he would be ultimately shipped off, he would never see her again either.

No Aria, no mom. He was being pushed away by Jimena in the same way Collin must have pushed her away. He felt like some sort of antique, valuable to both sides but in the end just baggage.

His features drew in together tightly as he heard Jimena leave the apartment to go to work.

He was not going to let either of his parents down.

He was stronger than both of them, he was sure.

And before they had the option to send him back to Hawaii, he was determined to cement his purpose and show that he would make a difference. He would not repeat his parents' mistakes, and no one would stop him.

Resolved, Carlos pulled the blanket snugly over his head, and drifted into an uneasy slumber.

OoO

By the time Jimena pulled her car into the parking lot for Hans and Phan, the law office where she worked as a secretary, she was already running about fifteen minutes late. She barely stopped long enough to lock her doors before she was sprinting towards the building, a rather ridiculous sight considering she was in a black business skirt and high heels.

As soon as she entered the building, her eyes darted up to see that door to the elevator beginning to slide shut. Swearing silently to herself, she called out, "Hold the door please!" And was rewarded with a man's arm holding the sliding doors apart.

Quickly walking over while fishing in her purse for her desk key, she didn't even take any notice of who the arm belonged to as she darted into the elevator compartment. Exhaling once she located the key at the bottom of a pile of gum wrappers, she looked up and smiled.

"Thanks for holding it," She said, her eyes widening when she realized who her elevator savoir was.

"It wasn't a problem," Came the smooth, velvety voice of Winston, the new lawyer that had been hired at Hans and Phan a few months ago.

Jimena could feel her jaw drop when she took in his features. Pale skin, black eyes, dark hair- the only difference between the man in her dream and this one being the attire and a few gray streaks at the temples.

"_You,_" She hissed venomously, finger reaching out and frantically pressing down on the button to stop the elevator.

Warm fingers wrapped around her own, sultrily pulling it away from the buttons, "I see you've finally remembered me," He whispered lowly, a hand caressing her face, "I've been waiting for you, _Pandia._"

Jimena's heart failed her as she stared into the eyes of an enemy from over two thousand years ago.

An enemy that should be dead.

An enemy that she was currently trapped with.

OoO

Shorter chapters than originally intended, I'm sorry : (

**Notes/translations**: _incubare _is the Latin word for Incubus, the sort of demon that Winston is.

_Vade mecum, regina nocis, lux in tenebrim. Dum vita est serva- _Go with me, queen of the night, the light in the darkness. While there is life I am your servant.

**Vaguely Important Noteage!: **A few people were wondering about Tessa's book, and I think I've finally got something worked out. Ready? Ok! Book one was the whole cast, two was Riley, three Aria, four will be Imy, and five will be Riley again. BUT six will be Tessa, seven will be Aria, eight will be Tessa again, and nine will be the final one with Imy wrapping up the series. Of course there will be a few side stories thrown in for fun, but that's zey plan. Sorry if it's kind of confusing.

**Up Next**: Even after two thousand years, Winston still has some issues with rejection. Jimena learns first hand not to piss off an ancient demon.


	4. Tough Love

_Night's Children: Meliora_

**AN: **Didn't edit it before I posted. I know, I'm getting incredibly lazy. If there's a few problems, let me know and I'll fix them!

**Chapter Three: Tough Love**

Jimena had held a rather eventful life. She'd grown up on the bad side of the tracks, been shot at, run over, arrested, jumped, stabbed, had three broken ribs, fractured her arm twice, her cheek once, robbed, press-ganged, and had been hit in the eyes with pepper spray.

And all that was before she became a Daughter of the Moon.

Anyways, it's safe to say that it was a rare occasion when Jimena was ever caught off her almost constant guard. She had seen far too many crazy incidents to be surprised by much, and it would take a hell of a lot to even phase her slightly.

So if she was going to let a lecherous Incubus from a past life think that he had her cornered, then she deserved to meet an untimely death with elevator music being the last thing she would ever hear.

She was momentarily surprised, true.

But now she was pissed off.

That reaction tended to be more enduring.

Winston had her pressed against the sliding door, leaning in even more. She noted that his breath reeked of sulfur and she repressed a shudder as she discreetly located the open or stop button for the elevator behind her back.

"How did you get here?" She asked naively, hoping she was injecting enough pseudo fear into her tone as she widened her eyes appropriately.

Winston, or whatever the hell his real name was, smirked alluringly, "Why does that matter?" He inquired, resting his forehead against hers. The temperature was scalding and she had to stifle the whimper making its way up her throat. "After all, we're together now."

Jimena smiled sweetly, having settled on just mashing all the buttons on the panel out of his sight, "Of course," She said in a faux seductive tone.

The Incubus's fingers slid down her neck, over her shoulders where they gripped her firmly while his coal black eyes stared hungrily at her lips, "It's been far too long, Pandia." He whispered lovingly, lowering his mouth to cover hers-

"Not long enough!" She snapped, bringing her knee up quickly to connect with the demon's supposed valuable weapon. As soon as he doubled over slightly, she smashed her head down, front first, against the back of his skull, then elbowed him in the gut after she had head butted him.

"_Usted hijo maldito de una ramera_," Jimena hissed angrily, shoving him away and facing the doors.

Winston was bent down, coughing and groaning in agony when the doors slid open. Jimena quickly walked through them and turned around to see the Incubus's hand reaching out between the two doors, blocking them from closing.

Rolling her eyes, Jimena brought down her high heeled foot sharply on his hand, somewhat enjoying the pathetic whimper of pain he made before retracting it. A _ting! _noise was heard and the elevator shut, giving Jimena enough time to muster a smug smirk before the now irate demon vanished from view.

Sighing calmly, she then smoothed out her skirt, readjusted her glasses, and proceeded to walk towards her boss's office, where she informed them she was taking a personal day off.

In the excitement, she had forgotten that she left her purse inside of the elevator.

OoO

The way to school was silent as the two teenagers, who were not quite siblings, walked beside each other. Riley would send subtle looks at Jimena's son as they went, noting the feelings of tension, irritation, and most noticeably anger hanging around him. She grimaced inwardly, not knowing how exactly to handle this. Normally, she was a more passive type, not willing to intervene in conflict, especially conflict that wasn't really any of her business.

But this wasn't exactly a normal situation. Carlos was her somewhat foster sibling, but more importantly, he was Jimena's son. Riley had watched her guardian stay up into the late hours of the night rereading the most recent letter sent by him, and she saw, or felt rather, how her eyes would light up whenever he gave her the rare phone call he was permitted. Now that he was here, it didn't seem…natural that all the two would do now is bicker, especially over something like Selene's duties.

Clearing her throat, she decided to do her version of jumping into a pit of venomous snakes, and initiated the conversation, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Carlos stopped in his step, surprised at hearing the soft voice which interrupted his stewing. He blinked owlishly, then plastered a false grin on his face, "About what?"

Riley shook her head disapprovingly, "There's no need to pretend, I'm an empath."

Carlos's grin fell when he recalled the empathetic powers that he himself had wielded for a short period of the time. He knew they were terribly effective, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Riley sighed as they continued their trek to school, her fingers unconsciously gripping her bag's strap tighter, "I may not say much, but I hear practically everything."

"So?"

"So do you want to talk?"

"Talk about what?"

"About you and Jimena-"

"There's nothing to talk about," He cut her off, the school building approaching on the distant horizon, "So how's the math teacher here?" He asked to abruptly change the subject.

"Being evasive is just going to be more damaging in the future," Riley said softly, then wished she hadn't said anything as she noticed the flicker of annoyance Carlos was feeling directed towards her.

"Don't use your powers on me," He warned.

"I'm sorry, sometimes they're stronger than I am," Riley apologized earnestly.

Carlos, knowing that it was true from his brief encounter with them, quickly accepted this, then muttered, "Mom wants me gone and there's nothing I can do about any of it."

She looked at him, gray eyes seeming to stare straight through him like lasers. Seeing his weakness, feeling his hurt, and making him instantly paranoid through the process. "Jimena doesn't want you gone, she's just doing what she thinks is best."

Carlos snorted, "What she thinks is best isn't always right."

She worried her lower lip, contemplating the best response that wouldn't upset him further, "Jimena's been at this longer than any of us, I think it'd be wise to listen to her opinion."

"Her opinion is wrong."

"She's trying to protect-"

"That's the problem!" Carlos suddenly cried, throwing his arms in the air, "She's _always _protecting me! Both of them are constantly babying me, it's time that I learned how to protect myself."

Riley's eyebrows furrowed, confusion hitting her with Carlos's aggressive reaction. He had two parents that loved and cared enough to make sure he wouldn't get hurt, shouldn't someone count that as a blessing? "I don't understand…"

He exhaled, sending pieces of stray dark hair flying up, "You wouldn't. It's a family thing." He commented off-handedly as the two approached the entryway to their high school.

Riley stopped dead in her tracks, his words freezing her as her hand fell slack on her messenger bag and her head lowered slightly. "It's a family thing," She repeated to herself almost silently.

Carlos, noticing that Riley had stopped walking beside him, turned his head around. When he saw her dejected stance, and rethought about what he said, he immediately wanted to kick himself in the face.

"Riley," He said apologetically, "I didn't mean it like that-"

She silenced him just by holding a hand up. "It's alright," Her voice was flat and monotonous, not as soft or gentle as it had been before, "I overreacted." She cleared her throat and called in all of the emotions she had unknowingly projected, the familiar bitter sensations of rejection.

Carlos stared at her, amazed at how all the feelings in the air seemed to have evaporated, leaving behind something neutral and terribly cold. "I'm sorry," He started.

Riley just adjusted her posture and gave a fake half-grin, since she never could really smile, "It's not your fault, it's mine. I assume too much, I should really be thankful for all that Jimena's done for me."

Carlos opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off by a voice he knew all too well, "Carlos! Riley!" Cried Aria amiably as she sauntered up to them.

He mustered a weak smile for her as she approached. The healer paused in her step, noticing the tension, or the extreme lack of, in the area surrounding the two surrogate siblings.

"Is something wrong?" She questioned, looking first at Riley, then turning and staring right into Carlos's eyes.

Carlos stilled, for some reason never being able to lie to the girl, but Riley saved him.

"Nothing is wrong, I'm just running late." She said blandly, giving a farewell nod to Aria and heading towards the line for the metal detector.

Carlos watched her go dolefully, and the empath seemed to pause in her step before turning around to face the surfer.

"I've never had real parents," She whispered, staring him straight in the eyes yet again, "So I suppose that's why I can't comprehend why two people loving you so much and not wanting you to get hurt is a bad thing. But," Riley shifted awkwardly, still not knowing where it was okay for her to overstep her boundaries, "But I think that if you can't appreciate what they're doing for you, that's your fault. Jimena loves you more than she loves anyone, including herself, and I don't need to be empathetic to see it. You shouldn't let petty things come between that." Seeming satisfied with her rare declaration, she quickly swerved on her heel and passed through the gate.

Aria, gaping and in somewhat shock, turned around and faced her boyfriend, "Whenever Riley speaks three consecutive sentences something's wrong," She stared at him, her eyes warm and understanding, "What happened?"

Carlos groaned and ran a hand through his hair, "Aria, I'm screwing everything up."

She stared at him, his distress blatantly apparent on his face, "Riley will forgive you, she's forgiven _me _after all-"

He shook his head, "That's not it, well not all of it." He trailed his hand down his face, "I'm being selfish, aren't I? Not wanting to go back to Hawaii, I mean."

Aria gave a considerate smile, understanding finally dawning upon her as she caught his hand with her own, "No, you're not. There's nothing selfish about wanting to help people."

"I'm not doing a very good job with it. I'm making my mom a nervous wreck, and I managed to piss off my foster sister-"

"That is quite an accomplishment. Jimena is never nervous, and Riley hardly ever gets mad." Commented Aria smartly.

"Not helping."

Aria just inhaled calmly and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest, "It'll work out, Chuck, things just always seem to start off bad for us." She felt a bit of relief wash over her when she felt Carlos's arm around her own waist. "Everyone just needs a little time."

Carlos rested his chin on the top of Aria's head, "I hope you're right."

OoO

Gordon's stare intensified as his eyes narrowed in on the target, a droplet of sweat beading down his forehead as he desperately tried to still his hand. This was life or death, if he missed he would be a failure, if he hit, an absolute legend. Calming his breathing and focusing solely on his goal, he drew a finger back-

"Boss!" Yelled someone from out in the hallway.

Startled, Gordon fell backwards on the computer chair he was sitting in, and the paper football he had created out of a copy of someone's birth certificate fell down on the desk. Swearing up a storm, Gordon straightened his tie as he pushed himself up off of the ground and readjusted the chair behind his office desk.

"This had better be important," He grumbled, "You nearly gave me a damn heart attack!" He bellowed, so the person who interrupted his world-record breaking paper football game knew the consequences of their actions.

"Sorry boss," Came the voice of Mickey Ramirez, rookie cop and Gordon's personal slave, from outside the office door, "Trying to get a hundred of those paper things in the trash can again?"

Gordon grit his teeth and muttered something under his breath about insolent rookies who didn't know their ass from a hole in the ground, "What do you want?"

"There's someone out here to see you," He said.

"So? Tell them I'm in a meeting," Gordon grumbled, sitting back down and readjusting his aim on the football.

"She's…er…"

"What?"

"Well, Sir, she's apparently scary." Said Mickey.

Gordon groaned and got off his chair, approaching the door, "About five foot seven inches? Slight build? Dark hair? Gang tattoos?"

"Got her in one, Sir." Mickey said from the outside.

Sighing and giving his hair a self conscious brush with his hand, he slowly turned open the office door and saw Mickey seated in his cubicle, on the phone with the receptionist of the police building.

"Send her in," Gordon stated.

Before Mickey had even finished okaying the visitor's entrance, the door for the homicide and assault's department burst open, revealing the one-woman warpath herself.

"Castillo, long time no see," Gordon said dryly.

"I need a gun." Was all she said flatly.

Gordon practically choked on his own saliva, "Excuse me?"

"I need a damn gun and you should be thankful I'm going through all this procedural nonsense to get it legally," Jimena repeated irately.

Gordon eyed her, and noticed that something was definitely off about the Magna Mater of the Daughters of the Moon. Her shoulders were bunched together, her fists clenched, and the rest of her body language just screaming agitation. Her dark eyes seemed even more fiery today, if that were at all possible, and her mouth was etched in a permanent frown.

"Rough day at work?" He observed.

"You don't know the half of it," She muttered.

Gordon noticed that Mickey was taking a keen interest in the conversation, exhaling slowly, he opened the door to his office and made a grand welcoming gesture with his arm, "Step into my office."

Jimena seemed to notice the rookie for the first time, and nodded, following Gordon into the small room.

Gordon crossed the threshold of his office and immediately took a seat in the swivel chair, slumping down and preparing himself for whatever insane story Jimena was likely to tell. Jimena just as quickly took the seat across from his.

"Alright, spill," He demanded.

Jimena shook her head, "There isn't enough time and were I to explain it to you, you wouldn't believe it anyway."

"Is it any weirder than having your soul sucked out and trapped in a senior citizen's deck of playing cards?" He said levelly.

Jimena sighed, "An Incubus who was infatuated with one of my past lives is coming after me now in the present."

Gordon blinked, "Incu-wha?"

Jimena snorted, and repeated it almost verbatim, "A seductive demon that tries to lure women into sleeping with them, also known to cause nightmares or other mental anxieties."

"…That sounds like a personal problem to me."

"So can I have a gun now?"

Gordon shook his head, "First, I can't just hand them out, second what was all that pacifism bullshit you were feeding me about how Selene doesn't want her followers to commit evil acts?"

"Normally, I'd whole-heartedly agree with you. But I've already sent this thing to hell using the pacifist approach and it didn't work. Now it's demon-hunting season." Jimena elaborated.

Gordon scratched the back of his neck, "So, for clarification purposes, let me see if I got this straight. You're being pestered by an Incubus?"

"Yes."

"Because he was in love with you in a past life?"

"Yes."

"And you've banished him to hell, but that didn't work."

"Right."

"So now you want me to give you a gun so you can shoot him?"

"Correct."

"Because you don't want to sleep with him?"

"Gun please?"

Gordon groaned, "I can't just hand you out a gun, insane story aside, our armory is meant for the force only, the guns are all registered and given specific wielders."

Jimena's eyes narrowed, "Have you been listening to what I've been saying at all? Evil sex demons are running the streets of Los Angeles! Me shooting the bastard is practically public service!"

"Why don't you just go to a sporting goods store then?" Gordon attempted to compromise.

"Because in order to get any sort of handgun it takes at least twenty four hours, plus background checks, plus registration…that's a lot of time I can't afford to waste." She said.

The detective ran a hand through his gray-blond hair, "Are you sure that you don't have some sort of firearm at home, or maybe one of your friends has one you can borrow?"

"Are you serious? Those things are dangerous."

Gordon desperately refrained himself from slamming his head against the desk, and instead rifled through miscellaneous papers on his desk in order to make it look like he was doing something important, "Well I can't get you a gun, Jimena. I've already done enough things to make me lose my badge, stealing a gun to give to a woman with a criminal record would be the final nail in the coffin."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Jimena demanded, mostly angry and slightly afraid. "He's coming after me. That means that sooner or later he'll find out where I live. My son's here now, Jacobson, I can't afford to have either him or Riley hurt just because two thousand years ago I turned down a date!"

The cop sighed, "I could set up surveillance cameras, an alarm system, anything you need in terms of security, but I can't give you a glock."

Jimena bit her lower lip and exhaled calmly through her nostrils. When Gordon was thinking more level-headedly than her, that was a definite sign that her infamous temper was starting to affect her mental decisions. She was just nervous, really. Although she couldn't remember the exact process, she knew that she had once banished Winston to hell. If even Tartarus couldn't hold him, what would? A gun may not even work, if he was fully immortal.

She shivered, her thoughts drifting to her patchwork family back at the apartment. Winston had used a student of hers once before to gain leverage, what would stop him from holding Carlos or Riley hostage as well?

Shaking her head, resolved, she brushed off her skirt and stood up, "You only have glocks? I would have needed at least a magnum," She said flatly, preparing to leave, "Thanks for your help, Gordon."

Gordon tensed, first because she seemed far too calm for someone who had come stampeding into a police station only a few minutes prior, second because she had called him by his first name, something that didn't happen often. "What are you planning to do?" He asked, a bit of concern worming into his heart.

Jimena's eyes darkened, her glasses sliding to the bridge of her nose, "Whatever it takes. I can't let my kids get hurt."

Thoughts of a sad, world-weary blond seventeen year old boy flashed through Gordon's mind, "I understand." He cleared his throat, "I'm here to help, Jimena, anything you need aside from firearms."

A tiny smile crawled up Jimena's face, "Thanks," She paused, "I'll hold you to that, you know."

A craggy smile made its way on Gordon's, "Whatever you need."

Jimena just nodded and slowly made her way out of the office. Gordon followed her out and leaned against his doorframe, eyeing her as she left far more calmly then when she had arrived.

"That's one hell of a woman." Gordon muttered to himself absently as she vanished from view.

"She's too good looking for you, Sir." Responded Mickey, from behind the safety of his cubicle as he filed some papers.

Gordon eyed him with a scowl that would have killed a baby kitten, "You must really enjoy paper-pushing, don't ya? What did I say about being a smartass?"

Mickey grimaced, "Smartasses work overtime with a boot up their smart asses."

"Good boy."

OoO

Jimena inhaled deeply as she pulled into the driveway of her apartment complex, straining to calm the frantic beating of her heart as it hammered against its ribcage. Mentally, she assessed her situation.

There was a lustful demon more than likely wanting to kill her from her past life.

She had no idea of how he was freed.

She had no idea how to send him back.

Carlos or Riley could become bait, or even Aria, Tessa, or Imy.

Carlos was mad at her.

Collin was mad at her.

There was no way to protect any of them, should Winston decide to launch a full-blown attack.

She was, for all extents and purposes, screwed.

In a flare of temper, she crashed her fist against the steering wheel of her car and emitted a growl that was muttered by grinded teeth. She did _not _need this now, she had far enough to worry about without the excess baggage brought courtesy of a past reincarnation. It seemed recently that _everyone _needed her and she was already stretched far too thin, what with the making sure her reckless charges didn't die, and protecting her equally reckless son.

Deciding that now was a good time to try and recover her inner harmony, she inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, mashing her face against the wheel. After about twenty minutes, she felt some of her anxieties abate. While nowhere near gone, the edge of her frustration dissipated some, allowing her to process things more clearly.

First things first, she needed to find out how Winston had been freed from the depths of hell, and then she needed to discover what he was exactly after. Did he merely want revenge? Something more carnal? Did he want vengeance plus the current generation of Daughters of the Moon?

These questions needed to be answered, and soon, so she could assess the threat level.

Resolved, she unbuckled her seat belt, and quickly looked the door and found the key to her apartment, before briskly walking up to the building.

When she finally reached her doorway, she wasn't prepared for the sight that awaited her.

The apartment door was partially caved in, black scorch marks licking at the wood. The area where the door knob had been was completely ripped out, and the number had fallen off, lying discarded on the floor.

Jimena gaped, terror assailing her when her first conclusion was that Carlos or Riley could have been attacked, but she pressed a hand against her chest and willed her heart rate to slow down. Logic flushing out maternal paranoia, she realized that the door was still slightly smoking, indicating that the assault upon the poor door had only happened an hour or two ago at most. Relief flushed over her, but it was soon replaced by wariness as she tensed and prepared to slowly enter her apartment.

Spinning around quickly, she slammed her heel against the weakened remnants of the frame, forcing the door the rest of the way open. Rolling her shoulders and poising both her hands into fists in front of her face, she took a cautious step forward.

She was not surprised at who was in there.

She _was _surprised to see what he was doing.

Winston was sprawled out on Jimena's worn sofa like a cat. His suit jacket was off, revealing a pinstriped vest, black silk tie, and button down white shirt. His hair was slicked back smoothly, stray tendrils collected behind his ears. He seemed to be focusing rather intensely at what he held in his hands

Jimena's heart skipped a few beats when she realized what it was.

It was a frame, the photo within it being the most recent picture Jimena had of Carlos, from two years ago.

When he heard the door swing open, Winston inclined his head to see her, "Ah, my lovely Pandia, I've been expecting you."

OoO

Carlos was seriously beginning to doubt his sanity as the second hand of his classroom's clock continued to mercilessly tick away with no regards to his personal wellbeing. The nerves and anxieties about his mother had only continued to accumulate as the day progressed, and he was on the verge of a complete mental breakdown.

The bell rang, dismissing the second hour class, and Carlos glanced up at the wall clock again.

It was about eleven o'clock. Most people took their lunch hours at noonish, didn't they?

He couldn't take this anymore, the waiting. It was driving him insane and he was feeling cornered into being proactive. He needed to have the talk he had been dreading with his mother, and he just couldn't concentrate on anything else until that had been dealt with and he knew his fate.

Resolved, Carlos quickly darted out of the class and into the hallway, where he went out the closest exit possible.

He was walking back to the apartment, where he would hopefully catch Jimena on her lunch break.

OoO

Hehe, I'm not going to give you the translation for Jimena's swearing, just know it's a very unpleasant message :)

**Up Next: **Jimena kicks some ass and takes some names


	5. Ex Officio

_Night's Children: Meliora_

_AN: _Sorry this took so long in getting out. I've been buried up to my eyelids in midterm essays, exams, and other generally unpleasant e words that have to do with **e**ducation. My brain needed a break.

**Chapter Four: **Ex Officio

"Who sent you?" She hissed, rage igniting within her.

Winston tore his eyes away from the portrait he was examining to briefly meet her eyes, his eyebrows raised in speculation, "Cute kid, Pandia. I assume the cult of Selene's become a bit more lax on the chastity obligation?"

She wasn't sure whether to feel disgusted or furious, so she settled on both, "Don't you dare talk about my son."

"I bet he's important to you," He drawled, shifting into a seating position, his next words heavy with unexpressed threat, "And I assume he's mortal."

Jimena's rage was palpable, and her voice lowered an octave, darkened with hatred, "Leave him the hell alone."

Winston gave a crooked smile, and before Jimena knew it, she was pressed against the wall. One of the demon's hands rested on her hip, pressing it painfully into the wall, while the other trailed down the side of her face almost lovingly. "I would be glad to, Pandia, if you would simply meet my demands."

"Are you so thick-headed not to see a banishment to Tartarus as a rejection?" She hissed, "Get the hell away from me or I'll beat your sorry ass like I did in the elevator."

Much to her surprise, he actually retreated, and she sagged slightly in relief when she watched him sit calmly back on the couch.

"I see you're going to be difficult about this," Winston said, almost pouting, "But then again, I suppose I should not have expected less from you. Two thousand years later and you're still exactly the same fiery priestess from Athens."

"Who let you out of hell?" Jimena demanded crossly, "And why are you here?"

Winston seemed to mentally debate the question in his head, before leaning back, propping his arms up on the headrest of the sofa and giving a long-suffering sigh, "I could never keep anything from you, my sweet."

Jimena had to physically refrain herself from vomiting.

Winston seemed to stare at his own reflection on his highly-polished shoes, obviously liking what he was seeing, "I was sent here by a powerful being, to serve as a messenger."

Her teeth grit together and she realized that he was being intentionally obtuse and vague, "Who's the being? What message?"

The devilish glint was back in his eyes again, one that she was painfully familiar with, "What will you give me in return for information?"

"My expensive high heels not in your ass."

He tsk-ed disapprovingly, "Pandia-"

"You know my name now is Jimena."

"I like Pandia better. Such vehement words really make you seem quite uncouth."

"You evading my questions makes you seem like a petulant child," She retorted, "Who sent you and why?"

Winston cracked his head from side to side, "You'll find out who soon enough, but I was sent here to kill the newest generation of Daughters of the Moon, specifically the healer and the child of the prophecy." He gave her a doleful look, "Apparently the healer's been getting on Hades's nerves, what with the killing of his servants."

Jimena felt her mouth run dry, "I can't let you do that."

Winston rolled his eyes, "Naturally, otherwise I would have never revealed my purpose in coming. Surely you don't think me that foolish, do you?"

She narrowed her eyes, "You seem to enjoy pain, otherwise you wouldn't keep pestering me."

"Honestly, Pandia-"

"Jimena."

"**-Pandia**, I gave you a two thousand year grace period. That's quite generous." He replied smoothly, "Besides, I thought you'd enjoy some quality time together."

"With you? I'd rather go out to dinner with Lambert."

"I don't understand your resistance to my obvious charms," Winston continued, not even phased by Jimena's clear rejections, blatantly used to them, "After I went through all that trouble to lie to my liberator and manipulate the cosmos to see you again."

"I'm not interested." She spoke flatly.

"Why not?"

"You're a demon whose sole purpose is to seduce and impregnate women with your hellish spawn," She said angrily.

Winston waved a hand dismissively, "Technicalities, technicalities."

Jimena shifted her stance, a bit more relaxed but still prepared for battle, "Who told you where I live?"

"You did," With this, Winston gestured to the purse that lay on the other end of the sofa, "Women's handbags these days deal out so much information. Name, address, social security numbers…you really shouldn't be so careless Pandia, someone dangerous could discover everything about you."

Jimena scoffed, not even able to come up with an acidic response for that one, on account of it being far too easy. "You need to leave."

Winston gave another long-suffering sigh, his fingers steepled together and a more menacing air acquired around him, "Pandia, I was not rejuvenated and rescued from hell to take orders from you. Like it or no, I was given specific instructions from a new master."

An eyebrow rose, "Whatever happened to being self-sufficient? I remember you being quite sensitive on that issue."

Almost like a cartoon, steam billowed out from Winston's ears, conveying his irritation, "This is a… temp job, if you will. I do my master's bidding, I get a permanent stay out of hell free card."

Jimena's eyes widened, immediately deducting that if a person was powerful enough to strike a bargain with the _Dis Pater_ himself, the newest generation of Selene would have more than their share of troubles.

"If your master is as important as you say, then I doubt that you can afford to anger them with disobedience." Jimena commented smartly.

He stood up, Jimena immediately took a few steps away. He seemed not to notice this, as he began to pace, "That's where you come in, my lovely priestess. My master is powerful, but you and I combined may be stronger, or at least an even match." He paused and stared at her meaningfully, "That's why it's completely feasible for me to make the offer I'm about to make now."

She clenched her jaw, "What offer?"

"You become my _concubina_, and together we'll destroy the person who made the proposition."

"That's not going to be happening," Jimena shot down immediately.

Winston exhaled, "Pity, now I'll have to deal out the heavy artillery." His dark eyes were becoming red around the edges, the vermillion shade creeping towards the center of his pupil, "Either you come with me, or I follow through with my master's orders. With the interest of your son, and any other wayward followers of Selene that I find stumbling around. Makes you want to reconsider my generous offer, doesn't it?"

Jimena froze, knowing the implications. There was far more at stake than just herself, or Aria, Riley, Tessa, and Imy. The followers of Selene could mean anyone against the Atrox, or anyone who had ever helped them. This criterion applied to Zahi, Art, Gordon, possibly Twiggy, Catty, Tianna, Derek, Kyle, Collin, _Carlos_…the list went on and on. Winston had the abilities in the past to wipe away most of those on the list, and who knew what powers his benefactor had given him?

"Your choice, Pandia?" He crooned, taking a few wary steps towards her.

Jimena's head raced, trying out possible outcomes and scenarios within her mind. Her heart thudded violently, adrenaline making its way into her blood, the 'flight or fight' response given to all prey when the predator was nearing. She wet her lips and took a deep inhalation, mentally begging her mother goddess Selene, her father god Zeus, or her protector Artemis for some assistance on the issue.

"Tick tock, love," He continued, seeming to get a high off of her agitation.

She shook her head, "Why me? There are stronger women out there-"

A wicked gleam caught his eyes, "You are mistaken. Pandia, you are one of a kind, a collector's item among my species. The daughter of the King of the Gods and the mother figure to Selene's children. Your beauty is breathtaking, and there's the fiery persona that comes with the aesthetically pleasing package. It's-"

She almost gagged, choking on the overt layers of flattery, "Spare me your praises, I can't afford to be sick."

Instead of taking the intended insult, he smiled, "And of course, there's the fact that you're practically off limits in any incarnation you've held. Forbidden fruit complex, and all that." His eyes were now entirely scarlet, "Besides, I'm sure you've discovered I don't take rejection lightly. I never lose, Pandia."

Jimena shuddered, and suddenly clarity dawned upon her, and the decision was made painfully obvious. "Winston," She said falsely sweet, "I'm not going anywhere near your disgusting presence. And I'll ensure you freeze in the hell of Tartarus before I ever do."

Steam was accumulating around him, and it was apparent he was enraged, "Then I'll kill you."

"I'd like to see you try." Jimena's eyes fluttered shut, and she recalled the ancient prayer, "_Vade mecum, regina nocis, lux in tenebris. Dum vita est serva," _She paused, then added, _"Veni lucem, in rem de inimico dis."_

The power boost was almost instantaneous. A brilliant translucent light filtered down around her, and she felt the thousands of years of experience she held come through her. She felt her current persona fade away and be replaced with something a bit more powerful. She was no longer _just _Jimena Castillo, she now held the powers of Pandia, The Ever-Shining Moon of Athens, as well. Strength resurged in her and she smiled serenely, a sense of confidence taking over. The amulet she had from her Daughter days glowed brightly, intense resplendence making Winston wince slightly.

Winston, noting the change, took a step back, before deciding to increase the odds to his favor. Closing his eyes, dark energy drew towards him, and Jimena's eyes widened when she realized that the powers were borrowed ones from the Atrox.

"How?" She whispered.

Winston smirked, skin taking on an unearthly grayish tone, "Don't tell me you didn't believe my master wouldn't give me some new toys to play with, _dea quod resplendere_?"

Jimena glared, "A Follower, I should have guessed. Your already impressively low standards seemed to have reached bottom-feeder status."

The Incubus exhaled, billows of smoke coming out of his nostrils, "This will probably hurt you more than it hurts me, but it does pain me to have to eradicate something so graceful."

"Funny, I won't be feeling any remorse." Jimena commented, and without any hesitation, channeled the powers from her past life.

Pandia's nickname wasn't given without reason, and her power was perhaps one of the most destructive ones ever bestowed in the history of the Daughters. The power to manipulate light waves, ranging from the ability to decrease the frequency and make herself seem invisible, or to increase the light frequency around her to form a narrow and intense focal point, also known as a laser. Jimena's personal powers had severely regressed over time and reincarnation, most likely due to negative karma she had accumulated some lifetime ago, but this was _Pandia's _enemy, not hers, and it only made sense to be allowed to borrow _Pandia's _abilities to destroy it. Silently thanking her patron god and goddesses, she outstretched her fingers, light collecting around the tips.

Yet, she was not the only one with a charge up. Winston's eyes had taken on an orangish hue, a mixture between his natural vermillion shade and the phosphorous glint of the Followers. Jimena tensed as she tried to recall his original ability, and finally remembered that he had been able to conjure fire, like any standard demon.

She grimaced, and realized her life had gone horribly, horribly wrong when she was using phrases like 'standard demon'.

Darkness accumulated around Winston, shadows being manipulated to suit his needs, "I believe I owe you repayment for sending me to hell," He said, his voice distorted and taking on an echoing quality.

Jimena said nothing, and before he had the opportunity to gather more energy, she launched a sphere of pure, concussive energy at him- enough power to kill.

Winston dodged it with less effort than she would have liked and retaliated instantly, shadows bending and flying towards her. Quickly, she increased the illumination of the light around her fingertips, causing the shadows to disperse.

"Using shadows against a light manipulator is only a testament to your stupidity," She chided, forming another blast in the palms of her hands. Inwardly, she regretted not _always _having this power, it definitely outclassed precognition in a fight.

Winston's eyebrows were furrowed in speculation, "My benefactor never mentioned you could recall abilities from a past life," He muttered darkly, "You're only supposed to hold the power of premonition."

Jimena snorted, quickly slipping out of her high heeled shoes as they made moving around difficult, "I didn't become the Magna Mater by being predictable." With this she fired again, Winston reacting quickly with his own fireball, the two opposing forces canceling each other out in midair. Winston struck again, but Jimena dodged and then groaned when she saw the flame hit her beloved sofa instead. Money would be tight in the Castillo household this month, as she imagined this skirmish would deal a lot of damage to her furniture.

As she avoided another volley of attacks, her mind tried to quickly recollect how she had first sent him to Tartarus, but the memory was distorted and fuzzy. If she had enough time to calmly sit down and meditate, she was sure she could arrive at a solution, but it wasn't likely that Winston would stop trying to engulf her in fire and give her a time out so she could think of the easiest way to destroy him.

She bit her lip, sending another ball of light at Winston, gloating inwardly when she saw that it hit him square in the chest. Her smile fell when the smoke cleared and the only thing that had been destroyed was his shirt and vest, a neat, perfect circle removed from his clothes. The skin underneath it looked unscathed.

"Oh, shit." She muttered deadpan.

Winston grinned, "I learned a few tricks during my imprisonment, my dear." The grin spread as he quickly moved closer to her, "Invulnerability being one of them." His grin fell, "A pity, this vest was designer."

The bastard had her, and she froze as he inched closer, bouncing a small fireball in his hand playfully, "Are you sure you don't wish to reconsider my offer?"

She backed away quickly, but the living room of her apartment only had so much room and it felt like she was being cornered no matter how far a part she stood. His eyes locked onto hers, and she could feel the raw power bristling behind his stare. For the first time, she wondered if her abilities, and that of Pandia's, were enough to stop this creature. It was tempting, to just give up, but she knew she could never live with herself if she took the easy way out. It was better to die with honor than to live without it, or so the old adage went.

Swallowing the lump that had made its way into her throat, she smirked cruelly, "I'll see you in hell." She muttered darkly, squeezing her eyes shut.

Winston looked a bit crestfallen, but then snarled, "Very well." He hissed, his hand stretching out-

Only to be cut off by a brown haired blur.

Momentarily shocked, Winston's guard fell as he was tackled into the floor, "What trickery is this?" He demanded, as his fire ball fizzled out harmlessly in his palm.

Hearing the commotion, Jimena's eyes snapped open and when she saw who had just assaulted the immortal demon, her jaw dropped, "Carlos! Get out of here!" She shouted in rage.

The teenaged surfer quickly stood up and viciously kicked Winston sharply under the chin, his head snapping back on impact. Taking advantage of the demon's momentary pain, he backed a few feet away, "Are you insane?" He asked crossly, "This guy was about to set you _on fire_!" He emphasized.

"Carlos leave, he's dangerous!" Jimena yelled harshly, her body glowing slightly as the light manipulation seemed to be affected by her emotions.

Carlos sent her a cocky smirk that made him seem a younger incarnation of Collin, "Mom, so am I." As if to prove his point, he quickly slammed a punch into the face of Winston, who was struggling to get back up, "Ability of super reflexes, blessing from a healing goddess, ring any bells?" He chided, sure enough a slight purple aura hung around him, the color symbolic of the blue healing power of Eileithyia and the red precognitive power inherited from his mother.

Jimena didn't honestly give a crap about Carlos's abilities. "Get **the hell **out of here or so help me…" Jimena trailed off, searching for a suitable threat, "I'll ground your sorry ass!" She grimaced as soon as she had said it.

Carlos sent her an incredulous look, "Ground me." He deadpanned.

Winston was livid, his cool demeanor fading as his carefully slicked back hair fell into his face and his eyes radiated rage, "Bastard," He hissed, the knife like claws Jimena was far too familiar with growing out of his fingertips. Before anyone had a chance to move, the demon lunged at the teenager.

"CARLOS!" Jimena screamed, matronly fear squeezing her heart like a vice.

"It's cool mom," Carlos said, half-interested as he easily dodged the attack and crashed his elbow on the top of the crouched demon's head, "Fast reflexes," He said in a tone of annoyance that implied he was getting sick of repeating himself.

The Incubus swerved quickly, fire forming in his palms as he sent a blast towards Carlos's stomach. Yet again, another easy dodge came, and Carlos looked at his mother, "Who the hell is this guy?"

Jimena, rather peeved at her son's reckless behavior, decided not to spare him the truth, "He's a demon that's wanted to have sex with me for the past two thousand years."

Carlos's face turned green and his mouth hung open as his nose crinkled, "Eugh!" The next punch he directed at the demon was given a little more force.

Jimena said nothing, merely crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow in irritation. "Carlos get out of here, you can't handle him."

Her son, still a little shaken by the earlier comment, stared at her, "Are you kidding me? This guy can only shoot fire. Last man I fought had invulnerability to physical harm."

Jimena sighed, "He has that too."

Carlos's eyes widened, "…I see."

Sure enough, the teenager's hits had not been dealing any real damage to the immortal demon, but had rather only fueled his agitation. Carlos was slowly beginning to realize why his mother had been losing the battle earlier.

"First I'm killing your miserable spawn, Pandia, and I'm going to make you watch," The Incubus hissed, but his words were ignored as the two family members continued their conversation rather passively, considering that random things were catching on fire in the apartment and a rampaging, shirtless demon was spouting murderous intentions.

"Isn't there anyway to stop him?" He demanded as he dodged a set of concussive fireballs from Winston.

Jimena rubbed a few fingers circularly around her temples, "The only solution I've been able to think up has been to send him back to hell like I did before…"

Carlos ducked as a shiny leather shoe almost connected with his skull, "Ok, let's go with that."

"I can't remember how to do it."

"Mom, c'mon!" Carlos whined as he spun and blocked a punch aimed at his midsection.

She eyed her son with worry as he continued to evade the Incubus's attacks. There was an option, but it would leave her completely vulnerable, not to mention she wouldn't be able to protect Carlos, he would have to fend for himself. "I could meditate and get a vision to the past…"

"Awesome, do that," Carlos said encouragingly as he braced himself behind a coffee table in order to avoid a blast of flame.

"No," Jimena said coolly, "I won't allow you to fight the demon on your own!"

Carlos snorted and gestured frantically between himself and Winston, "Hello? Me, demon, kind of fighting already?!" His sepia eyes stared at her with the unnerving conviction that he sometimes acquired, one that reminded her far too much of herself, "I'll be fine. Do what you need to do."

She could literally feel the anxiety blocking her throat. This was her son, her only child, and he was the one telling her what to do. Why didn't that add up? She shook her head, "No, you'll get hurt-"

"Mom." The one syllable held a tremendous amount of finality as he absently kicked Winston in gut, propelling him a few feet backwards, "I'll be your distraction, you go and get divine intervention."

Winston, being too preoccupied with trying to land just _one _single blow on the brat, seemed to pick up on the conversation, for he rapidly switched targets. Quickly, he jumped over the sofa and made a beeline for Jimena. Jimena tensed and prepared for the hit, but she was quickly pushed out of the way by Carlos, who then sidestepped casually himself.

"Go!" He shouted.

Winston tried to reach Jimena again, but Carlos blocked him for a second time, "Hands off, you creepy bastard," He muttered, using the demon's momentum against him as he flipped Winston over onto his back by grabbing his wrist.

Jimena watched her son, and she begrudgedly began to realize that he could hold his own in a fight, and that her being there was actually placing a hindrance on him. Sighing sadly, she looked at her son, "You better not get hurt or I'll kill you."

He smirked, "Trust me."

She gave a half-hearted smile, "I do."

Carlos's face seemed to light up completely.

"Touching," Winston spat contemptuously as he stood up slowly, fire accumulating grossly around his hands, "I don't know how you keep evading my attacks, but I am going to kill you if it takes my last breath."

Carlos didn't say anything but noted smugly that he was annoying enough to distract the demon from his mother. An involuntary shudder crept up his spine when he thought about what it was he wanted from Jimena, "Gross." He whispered to himself for good measure, crouching down to escape the quick sidekick Winston had aimed.

Jimena spent a few seconds lingering as she watched the battle commence between the most important person in her life and the ancient demon. Hesitantly, she tore herself away from the living room and abruptly ran down the hall until she entered her bedroom. Quickly, she locked the door behind her, wondering if it would really do any good, and headed to a large brown chest at the foot of her bed. Her hands dug out a white pillar candle and a lighter, the flame it produced was something that helped hone her focus when she was voluntarily channeling visions from Selene. Her thumb flicked the lighter on, and she ignited the wick.

Gathering her calm, she sat lotus-style and stared into the fire, fighting against her emotions as she tried to get her breathing to even and her mind to open. She heard a crashing noise come from the living room, but tried desperately to ignore it as she felt herself become slightly weightless, indicating that she was entering her trance-like state.

"_Donare solutionem ad hoc obstare, Mater Luna,"_ She whispered, before her eyelids widened and she felt the magnetic pull of her mind going into the past.

_The High Priestess stood there, terror and rage equally taking over her heart as she realized just how low this disgusting creature was willing to go to get her. "Release my student, or so help me, I will eradicate your loathsome existence from this world forever." She cursed, feeling the powers of the moon coming to her._

_The _incubare_, sensing the increasing force around her, tensed a bit, but his bravado remained, "She dies then," He hissed, as he began to trail his claw against Phoebe's throat-_

_But he was stopped as Pandia rapidly pulled out a small dagger from her mantle and threw it towards his head. Startled, the _incubare _ducked, his grip on the young priestess in training faltering slightly._

"_Phoebe, move!" Pandia barked._

_The little girl had no hesitation as she slipped out from under the demon's arm and quickly crossed the threshold to stand behind the High Priestess's protective cover. "Who is he?" Phoebe whimpered, round brown eyes obscured by tears._

_Pandia chose not to answer her student, instead keeping a weary eye on the demon across the room who was staring at her with annoyance. "You have acted in aggression towards one of Selene's chosen, in her very temple, I can not let this insult go ignored." She said coldly._

_The demon, having to finally realized his mistake, tensed before igniting two flames within the palms of his hands. His intention wasn't to harm the beautiful priestess, but to prepare for a self defense._

_Smirking, Pandia turned to Phoebe, "Phoebe, take the back exit and warn the other students." She ordered calmly._

_The girl seemed reluctant to leave, her eyes trailing between Pandia and the demon, but one look at her mentor's calm and ready stance convinced her to slowly nod and scamper behind the statue of Selene, leaving out of the door behind it._

_The demon pursed his lips, seemingly amused, "If you wanted us to be alone, you should have just let me kill her…"_

_Pandia snorted, a rare undignified expression for her, "You have no idea how simple this is going to be for me, I was waiting for you slip up so I could banish you."_

_The _incubare's _eyebrows furrowed, not liking the implication behind the statement._

_Quickly, Pandia kneeled down like a suppliant, her arms spread out while her forehead touched the cool, marble floors, "_Captura daemon lucum. Donare dis aeternus." _She smirked, "Capture this demon with light. Give him to darkness for eternity."_

_After she had spoken the incantation, rays of light flew out from her fingertips, seeming alive and pulsating as they wrapped around the demon before he even had a chance to move or cry in terror. The tendrils curled around his legs and arms, tightening around him in a style not unlike the Egyptians' mummies. The light accumulated around him until he dropped to his knees, the only visible body part were his gleaming red eyes._

"Mater Luna, Pater Jove, gratia de acteus_," She whispered in reverence as she stood up, and with a final flicker of her wrist, sent the light, and its captive, down into the underworld._

Jimena's eyes rapidly slammed shut and she gave a harsh intake of breath, placing a hand over her heart, feeling it thudding intensely. After a few moments, realization passed over her and the same cocky smirk Pandia had given the demon years ago crawled up on her face.

She knew how to imprison Winston once again.

OoO

Carlos was doing well as he held his own against the creepy fire-launching guy, but it was becoming apparent that his rather impressive stamina built by years of surfing and swimming was beginning to dwindle. His movements, which had once been fluid, were now becoming dull and sluggish, his reflexes not being enough to entirely propel his body from avoiding damage. A few minor cuts graced his skin, courtesy of the claws that he had dodged at the very last possible second.

This lack of energy would have been fine, except that the creepy guy didn't seem to be tiring out. The man didn't appear to be exerted at all actually, and was in fact getting _better _as time progressed.

"It's nice to tone up on my fighting abilities," He stated patronizingly as he watched Carlos try to catch his breath, his hands were on his knees and his head was lowered, "After all, lying in a cage for two thousand years makes one a little rusty."

Carlos didn't say anything, trying to anticipate the creepy guy's next move as well as rest for a few seconds.

"I suppose I should thank you, practicing with you will make your mother's demise a little easier," He chided, inspecting his claws.

Carlos grit his teeth, but recognized the man's taunts for what they were, a way of distraction, and instead focused harder. His eyes widened when he felt rather than saw some sort of darkness collecting around the man. He wasn't quite familiar with the presence, but from what he had heard from Aria and Riley, he was certain it was the powers of the Atrox.

"Shit," He muttered, standing up straight and preparing to sprint away from the shadows that were starting to twist violently.

"Now, leaving in the middle of a conversation is quite rude," The man stated smugly, and released an onslaught of constricting shadows towards Carlos.

Running, Carlos managed to avoid getting snagged by most of them, but when he let his guard down momentarily to duck beneath a shadow aimed for his head, one wrapped around his ankle tightly. Carlos's breath stopped as he tried to shake himself loose from its grip, but it held on tight, and was soon joined by a few more. He swore and struggled to get free even harder, but they escalated, gathering around him all the way up to his neck.

"Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit," He muttered frantically as he craned his neck upward, still attempting to be free of the constricting hold. The shadows left an icy imprint where they touched him and he shivered.

"Game over," The man said blithely, taking a few steps over as the shadows grew up his neck, "But I will admit, for a youth with no apparent talents you lasted longer than I thought possible."

"Go to hell," Carlos spat.

The man rolled his eyes, "What is it with this family and repetitive insults?" He drew a finger against Carlos's throat, "See you in the afterlife," He sneered.

Just as the demon was about to make the killing motion, a harmonic alto voice drifted through the apartment.

"_Captura daemon lucum_."

As soon as the demon heard the words, his eyes widened and he retreated away quickly from Carlos, flames engulfing his body as ire overcame him entirely, "NO!" He shouted harshly, swerving around to see the person who was chanting.

Carlos felt his jaw drop when he stared at his mother. Her dark hair had flown loose, and her eyes had lost their pupils and become entirely white, glowing slightly from some sort of inner light. The moon amulet of Selene shown brighter than any star and he exhaled happily when the shadows recoiled and dispersed, leaving him to collapse against the hardwood floors. Exhausted, he slumped back down and did not get up.

The demon started to shoot fire rapidly at the goddess, or as it was apparent now, High Priestess. But she merely shrugged them off, her own powers deflecting his own. Jimena smiled rather viciously as she savored the last words of the incantation, kneeling down once again like a humbled beggar, forehead pressing against her carpeted, now stained floors.

"_Donare dis aeternus_."

Winston's eyes widened as he saw the beams of light shoot out towards him. Pathetically, he tried to reach the apartment's windows, but it was to no avail, as it snagged him ironically around the ankle. Hissing and spitting, Winston's fingers clawed into the floor, making sharp grooves, as the light crowded around him.

He snarled at Jimena, "I'll be back, and I'll make sure you **both **die in unimaginable pain."

Jimena snorted, "I'm afraid not, I've learned a few tricks myself." She cleared her throat and spoke a few more lines, "Think of this as an insurance policy to make sure you **never **return."

"_Tenere daemon in extremis limbus, aeternus_," She created more bands to hold Winston down and he bared his teeth spitefully, "Hold this demon to the point of death in limbo for all of eternity." The prison around Winston seemed to glow in reaction to the chant and her voice picked up an intensity that was darker than the pit of hell Winston was on his way to, "Don't you _ever _threaten my son."

Winston had enough time to send her a contemptuous glare before Jimena flexed her fingers. A flash of light occurred, and a pit opened directly beneath Winston. A piercing howl was heard before the cage of light fell and the hole disappeared.

Almost immediately after this had happened, Jimena staggered a bit, her borrowed powers and excess reserves of strength disappearing with the vanquishing of Winston. Slowly, she forced herself over to her son's side, ignoring the few pieces of furniture that were still smoldering, and she placed his head in her lap, threading her fingers through his hair.

Carlos grimaced, his throat somewhat raspy, "I messed up, didn't I?"

Jimena smiled, "Only a little."

He winced, "I'm going back to Hawaii, aren't I?"

Jimena tensed, and her fingers momentarily paused, before she exhaled calmly, "What would ever give you that idea?"

Despite his obvious fatigue, his eyelids snapped open, "Mom?" He questioned cautiously, not sure what sort of test this was.

She gave a wane grin, "Your dad would never ground you, and trust me, after what you just pulled you're going to be grounded for a long, _long _time."

He beamed and wrapped his arms around her midsection like a little kid, "Thanks mom!" He proclaimed happily.

She snorted, "I'm sure you're the first teenager who's ever thanked their mother for grounding them."

What he said next was whispered, but she caught it, "As long as you're around to do the grounding." He paused before he said a little louder, "You should probably save the sofa."

She groaned as her gaze trailed over to the flaming furniture, "How am I going to explain this to the neighbors?"

He smirked, "Wild teen party…" He paused, "Which was totally Riley's fault, of course."

Jimena couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips at the mental image, before standing up and offering her son a hand, "Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

He took the hand and slowly stood up, "Naw, Aria's magical hands will do all the healing I need." He said, giving a rather phony wink.

Jimena's face dropped into the portrait of amazement that her son had the gall to talk like this to his _mother_, "Collin's obviously a negative influence." She muttered darkly, turning towards the kitchen, "I'll grab the fire extinguisher."

Carlos surveyed the total carnage that was the living room of the Callisto residence, and his mouth gaped slightly, "Does this sort of thing happen a lot?" He questioned dumbly.

Jimena came back, red extinguisher in tow, "What do you mean?" She asked rather casually.

"Random demon attacks?" He asked as backed away from the couch so Jimena could get a clear shot at it.

"No."

Carlos exhaled.

"They're usually planned, not random." She paused, "Although a _demon _per se is a bit out of the norm, commonly it's decomposing Regulators or immortal mind manipulators that try to kill us."

Carlos stiffened a bit uncomfortably, "Oh."

There was a moment's pause.

"Mom?"

Fwoosh! went the extinguisher as Jimena saved the drapes, "Yes?"

"Was what you said true?" He sounded very uncomfortable.

"Was what true?"

"The, you know, him wanting, to, you know? With you?" Carlos stammered, blushing a bit.

Jimena stared at him archly for a few beats, and then turned back to eliminating the fire hazards.

"…Gross."

**OoO**

I know, they're acting a bit calm considering what just happened, but I figure, they've both dealt with WAY crazier shit than this, so it's getting to become routine, neh?

**Translations: (A lot of them, oh boy!)**

_Ex Officio: _Out of duty

_Dis Pater: _Dark Father, one of the three Roman names for the God of the Underworld, Hades

_Concubina: _Latin, polite way of saying 'bed mate'

_Vade mecum, regina nocis, lux in tenebriss. Dum vita est serva. Veni lucem, in rem de inimico dis: _Go with me, Queen of the Night, the light in the darkness. While there is life I am your servant. Come light, against the dark enemy.I made all the prayers up, sorry if they don't sound quite 'hip' and whathaveyou.

_Dea quod resplendere: _Goddess that shines brightly, a play on Pandia's name.

_Donare solutionem ad hoc obstare, Mater Luna: _Give a solution to this problem, Mother Moon.

_Mater Luna, Pater Jove, gratia de acteus: _Mother Moon, Father Zeus, pleasing is your action. Way of saying 'thank you'.

**Up Next: **Epilogue. Sometimes villains can be so lame they only take forty odd pages to destroy, what can I say? And some family fun time! Yay for family fun time!

Thanks to readers/reviewers! You guys help me write more than you know : ) ESPECIALLY when my brain's as fried as it was these past two weeks.

!nym!


	6. Epilogue: Cops and Chords

_Night's Children: Meliora_

**Epilogue: Cops, Curt Conversations, and Chords**

_The Next Day_

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" She asked the figure across from her earnestly, as she leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest.

The man snorted, "Do you really want me to answer that?" He asked in his continuously gruff voice.

She exhaled, "About letting Carlos stay. Am I being an idiot?"

His mouth quirked into a reluctant smile, "Why are you asking me? Sounds like you've pretty much decided already."

Jimena sighed as she thoughtfully chewed on her sandwich, "I haven't talked to Collin yet."

Gordon rolled his eyes, "Consent of the father is a pretty important part to that whole custody thing," He grimaced, "I would know, I went through it. Twice."

She shook her head at the man, wondering how he got not one but _two _women to marry him long enough to get a divorce. The pair was sitting at a small café that lined the side of one of the city's parks, having met for lunch. Yesterday, after cleanup had been accomplished and Riley's questioning glance ignored, Jimena had called the cop to let him know that her prior desire for a gun had abated. Her eyebrows had practically rocketed passed her hairline when Gordon had awkwardly asked if she wanted to meet him on his lunch break the next day. Flabbergasted, she had muttered an affirmative, and after repetitively telling herself that this wasn't a date, she had met him at his work. Thankfully, Gordon wasn't acting any different than he normally would- he was still crude, surly, and at times rude.

Jimena found herself smiling when she discovered that she almost preferred Gordon's antics to the overt flattery and wooing she had been subjected to from the now eternally trapped demon.

She idly wondered when the coarse policeman had stopped being Officer Jacobson and had become Gordon.

"I don't want him to get hurt," She mumbled, continuing the conversation.

"Get over it, kids do stupid shit all the time," He said shrugging as he chomped down on his BLT, "Be thankful he only wants to fight immortal demons instead of joining a gang and stealing cars."

She raised an eyebrow, "What exactly are you insinuating?"

He smirked, "Nothing."

Jimena smiled slightly, "I suppose it will be nice forcing someone to do the laundry."

Gordon groaned, "That's amateur. I'll give you a few pointers, Jimena," She noticed he was now using the first name basis as opposed to grunting out 'Castillo' like he normally did, "You've got to exploit the hell out of your kid, before he wises up. Not just laundry, I'm talking dishes, dusting, cooking, the first few weeks of living with you, he's at your complete mercy."

Jimena was surprised when a genuine laugh escaped her mouth, "I think we should just sic your parenting values on the Atrox, we'll win this war in no time."

"Well, your son is a bit of a bum," He clarified, "He needs discipline." He wasn't being serious, at least, Jimena thought he wasn't being serious.

"It's all from his father," She dismissed, "Only the good stuff's from me."

"Like breaking into hospital rooms, jumping in front of fire-throwing demons, skipping class…"

"He hasn't skipped class yet," She defended hastily.

"Yet?" He echoed, a triumphant grin on his face.

Jimena's face crumpled at having being beaten, and she sighed, "I must be off if _you're _outmaneuvering me in arguments…"

"Don't insult the help," Gordon chastised. There was a comfortable silence as each of them chewed on their respective sandwiches, after he had finished, Gordon questioned, "So how's that whole war thing going on?"

Jimena shrugged, "Relatively peaceful after my apartment was almost burned to the ground and I sent an ancient demon to hell."

"That's nice." Gordon said blithely.

She nodded, "Anything coming through on your end?"

He shook his head, "Nope, just your run of the mill robberies, stabbings, shootings, rapes, and arsons."

Jimena and Gordon stared at each other for a few moments before Jimena cradled her head in her hands, "Our lives are _so _dysfunctional."

He gave a quiet chuckle, "Don't need to tell me twice."

The conversation then stirred towards more common social topics, the weather, work- which by the way, Jimena decided she was quitting, having had enough lawyers to last her for the rest of forever, and life in general. Jimena found herself actually at ease around the cop, something that she found more than ironic.

Quiet overcame the pair again, before Jimena hesitantly said, "This is nice."

Gordon seemed rather taken aback, not really expecting something resembling a compliment from Jimena. Smiling vaguely, he nodded, "Yeah it is."

"We should do it again sometime."

Gordon shifted, feeling somewhat uncomfortable all of a sudden, like a teenager asking a girl to the prom, "Well, I'll have to check my schedule…" He trailed off before giving a groan, "Who the hell are we kidding, I don't have a social life."

Jimena laughed, "Join the club."

OoO

Back at the apartment, Riley's eyes were lightly shut in concentration as she listened to the distorted beats filtering in the air around her. Low bass riffs accompanied by a repeated symbol crash and melodic vocals surrounded her and she totally engulfed herself in the rhythm.

After she had repeated the garage session tape The Discards had made two nights ago at practice a few times, she shifted her guitar over her left knee and poised her left fingers on the fret board. Tapping her barefoot against the ground a few times to get the timing down, she began to strike a few experimental chords, her right hand not holding a pick as it attempted a few plucking altercations instead of full strums. After a few seconds, she would grow either frustrated or nod in approval before shifting to the next chord, making a mental note of the progressions she liked.

"Hey Riley-" Came Carlos loudly as he sauntered into the room, falling quiet as he stared at his foster sister when he entered.

She was sitting sideways to him, her face rather dazed and actually displaying emotion and even joy. Her hands were moving far too quick for his eyes to follow as she played along with the tape, and the music that resounded in the bedroom was pleasant. He noticed that the normally stoic girl for once seemed carefree, a goofy little grin even crawling up her face as she finally seemed to find a progression she liked. It was more than apparent that she was dead to the world.

That is, until her empathetic abilities kicked in and she realized she wasn't the only one in the room. Abruptly her head turned and she saw Carlos leaning in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest as he smiled appreciatively.

"What are you working on?" He asked, taking the opportunity to better acquaint himself with his new sibling, and to hopefully make amends for their argument yesterday.

Riley's unguarded smile had vanished, replaced with her more blank countenance, but she managed a tiny lopsided grin, feeling his sincerity, "A new song for The Discards, we have a set in two weeks and Imy wants it ready by then."

"You sound great," He praised truthfully.

She seemed rather startled, and Carlos thought it was rather sad that the shy girl was made so uncomfortable by a compliment. It signaled that she hadn't received many in her lifetime. "T-tthank you." She stammered out at last.

"How long have you been playing?" He continued, easing his way into the room and sitting next to Riley on the floor.

"About three years now." She paused, "Imy's the one who actually got me to play." Another small grin, "She even helped me pay for this," She gestured to the rather beat up black Fender Squire.

"She seems cool," Carlos remarked, "She's in your band too?"

Her grin spread a little, and Carlos was proud of his progress, "It's really her band, which is fine with me, I've never been one for the spotlight anyways."

"Well it seems fun, remind me next set you play, I'll come watch."

Riley was silent for a while, and Carlos was scared that he had something wrong, had overstepped the boundaries of the withdrawn girl's reclusive world. Finally, she asked rather timidly, "Want me to teach you how to play?"

Carlos was almost as startled as she had been when he complimented her, but he choked it down to smile brightly, "Sure!"

Riley nodded, and the tiny twitch of the corners of her mouth faded to be replaced by a rather instructional purse of the lips, "Alright, you put the ridge of the body over your left knee-" She started as she passed the guitar over to him.

"The what?" He asked, dumbfounded as he readjusted the instrument several times.

"The curvy thing of the black part," She simplified.

"Oh."

"And your left hand moves on the fret board or neck, that's the long brown part with the bars on it," She continued, positioning his fingers gently on a fret and pressing them down slightly.

His eyes widened as he felt the steel strings dig uncomfortably into the fleshy part of his fingertips, "That kind of hurts." He murmured.

She gave an awkward pat of reassurance, obviously not one for physical contact, "It will at first, but if you play enough calluses build up and it doesn't bother you as much." She cleared her throat, "Okay, so your right hand strums-"

"The move up and down thing?"

"Yes. It strums across the strings for chords."

"So what's a chord?" Carlos asked, genuinely interested as he shifted the weight of the guitar again.

She seemed rather contemplative, "Here's an easy one," She said, "Put your middle and ring fingers on the A and D strings in the second fret."

Carlos stared at her and levelly asked, "English please."

Riley shifted, embarrassed, "Sorry, the fifth and fourth strings from the bottom, and the second little rectangle."

Carlos squinted in concentration and followed her instructions. When he saw her nod in approval he felt rather giddy, "Now what?"

"Take your right thumb, and brush it down all six strings."

Carlos did, a low, hollow sound echoed in the room, ended by a twang like pitch. "Is it supposed to sound like that?"

"Hold your fingers down a little harder."

He strummed again, a perfectly sounded E chord resounded. Riley gave an actual smile.

"Good job," She said, her tone still unbearably flat.

"Did I create musical expression?" He cheekily asked.

She nodded sagely.

"I'm a musician now!" He proclaimed, throwing his hands in the air with mock over-enthusiasm. Riley didn't quite laugh, but her face wasn't as grim, something Carlos thought was her way of expressing profound amusement at his dashingly clever humorous antics. He may have been a _little _off.

Neither of the two teens noticed a Magna Mater staring in on the lesson, having just returned from the not quite date with Gordon. Warmth filled her heart as she realized that her rather dysfunctional family was piecing itself together.

Even better, it didn't require her help. It was nice to have a break sometimes.

Jimena smiled at the two one last time, before turning on her heel and silently retreating, neither Carlos nor Riley noticing her arrival or departure.

The woman's walk was steady, and her face was settled with resolve as she picked up the phone and dialed the number for the Killingsworth Surf Shop.

"_Surf Shop, this is Collin," _Came the deep voice of her ex husband.

"Collin, it's Jimena."

There was a stifling silence on the other end of the line, and Collin's response was rather strained, _"Hello, Jimena."_ Another pause, followed by a cautious, _"Did you think about what I said?"_

"Yes," Unlike her counterpart, Jimena's voice was calm and determined, "And I was just leaving you a little message. Carlos is staying here. This is where he wants to be and this is where he belongs."

"_Jimena-!" _

"Don't interrupt me please." She cut him off, "Carlos will be living in Los Angeles, and if you insist on taking it to court know that you will lose." She smirked, "I know a few damn good lawyers. I'm also letting you know that you are welcome to come to L.A. and visit him whenever you want because _I'm _not petty. Hell, you can even sleep on my couch if that's what it comes down to." A strange sort of euphoria was taking over her, as she was finally able to get some of the frustration she had been repressing for the better part of sixteen years off of her chest, "I'll be calling you in a few days to discuss the matter of shipping Carlos's belongings. Goodbye Collin."

With that, she pressed the phone down on the receiver.

If she had stayed on the line a moment longer, she would have heard Collin genuinely laughing as fond memories from the past resurfaced.

Jimena always got what she wanted.

And in this case, she wanted her family.

No one was going to take that away from her.

**The End.**

**It's a little weird, I know, but I kind of like how this turned out. Some parts were a bit skimpy, but overall it moved _the plot _ooo…._the plot_, forward where it needed to go so it's a-ok!**

**The next NC book, _Acteus Reus _will be up within the next week or two : ). Thanks to everyone who read or reviewed! You are the hippest of the hip! I've decided that I need to do something uber special for the reviewers as a thank you for being so amazingly awesome, but I don't know what to do. Any suggestions lovely reviewers?**

**Alright, I'm outie!**

**!nym!**


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